by Krista McGee
“When I was in an episode of Dark Forces last year”—Haley referred to a popular crime drama on network television—“we were shooting in the tiniest space you’ve ever seen. But when I watched the show back, it looked huge. It’s amazing what camera angles can do, you know?”
When you were on Dark Forces, Kara thought, trying not to make a sour face. Yes, well, when I starred in my high school’s production of Our Town . . . no, not so much. How about when I played Tiger Lily in the community theater’s Peter Pan? No. All right. Just keep your mouth shut, Kara, and maybe they’ll think you know what they’re talking about.
Anna Grace walked up to the couch on the set and lay down. “This is all mine, ladies. I am going to own this audition.”
“Don’t get too comfortable.” Ava pushed Anna Grace’s legs off the couch and sat down. “I think I see my name right here.”
“All right, girls.” Ashley Win entered through the fake front door on the set and motioned for them to have a seat. “In the chairs back there. No sitting on the actual set until the auditions begin.”
The girls did as they were told and Ashley pulled up a director’s chair and sat, her small legs not even reaching the footrest. Her formidable demeanor, however, prevented the girls from any sort of laughter at Ashley’s expense.
“You’ll be given scripts and numbers,” Ashley said. “The scripts are all the same, the numbers are different. You may not switch your numbers, you may not complain about your numbers, and you may not have your agents call me with their complaints about your numbers. Got it?”
The girls nodded and Ashley went on. “You must have your script completely memorized when you perform. You should make sure you also note the blocking in the script. If the script says to stand by a chair for a line, you stand by that chair.”
Anna Grace raised her hand. “But what if that doesn’t feel right?”
“Then go home and do school plays where you can ‘feel’ your blocking.” Ashley glared at Anna Grace. “Here we have cameras set up. Those cameramen have the same script you do. So if you’re supposed to stand by a chair and deliver your line, then that’s what you do.”
“I-I’m sorry, Miss Win,” Anna Grace stammered. “I wasn’t trying to argue.”
“Moving on.” Ashley waved her hand. “You will be joined in this scene by Devlin Tyne.”
The girls all began talking at once. Ashley folded her arms and stared at them until they were silent. “Do not think of him as a teen star. He is another actor playing a role.”
Kara looked at the other girls. They were squirming with excitement. She thought back to her time with Chad Beacon. She had already spent a day with a celebrity. I was tongue-tied at first, but then I saw he was just a regular guy. Well, as regular as a Greek god on earth can be. Devlin Tyne is cute, but he looks like a skinny little kid next to Chad. Come to think of it, no guy looks good next to Chad Beacon. That boy has seriously ruined me for all other guys.
“Anna Grace,” Ashley called out. “You’re first.”
“Me?” Anna Grace pouted. “That’s not fair.”
“Are you complaining about your number?”
“No, ma’am.”
“Good.” Ashley handed her the script. “You have thirty minutes.”
“Ava, you’re next.” Ashley handed the script to Ava. “We are going in alphabetical order. Gina, Haley, and Jennifer, you’re numbers three, four, and five.”
As those girls walked up to receive their scripts, Ashley kept talking. “You will all perform before lunch.”
Yes. I’ve got at least four hours to work on this. Thank you, God. Or Universe. Or luck. Whatever. Just thank you!
“Jillian, Kara, Kylie, Sophie, and Zoey.” Ashley waved them forward. “You’ve got more time, so I’ll expect better work.”
“Of course,” Jillian said. “Thank you, Miss Win.”
Kara ran outside but found that the Florida humidity was not her friend. And unlike Haley, her hair was not naturally perfect. Walking back into the building, she overheard Jillian on the phone.
“Yes, I’m working on the lines . . . I know it is . . . Not yet, but I will . . . Okay, bye.”
“Hi, Jillian.” Kara smiled. “We really lucked out, huh? Getting to go after lunch?”
“I don’t believe in luck.” Jillian returned her smile. “I believe in God.”
“Wow, you too, huh?”
“You don’t?”
“Not really.” Kara shrugged. “But I’m open to spirituality.”
“Good for you.” Jillian opened her script.
“Really?”
“Sure.” Jillian’s eyes stayed on her script. “We should all be free to believe whatever we want, right?”
“Right. I guess.”
Jillian glanced up at Kara. “Christianity works for me, but maybe it won’t work for you.”
“My friend Addy doesn’t think that.”
“Some Christians are very narrow-minded.” Jillian rolled her eyes. “They mean well, but they just don’t get it. God loves everybody, right? No matter what.”
“Addy isn’t narrow-minded.” Kara was upset that her friend was being painted negatively by this girl who claimed to share Addy’s faith. “She’s very sincere. She says that God just gives one way, and his love is what allows us to choose that one way.”
“I wouldn’t buy into that if I were you.” Jillian turned to walk away. “You need to be true to yourself. Don’t forget that.”
Kara didn’t have time to dwell on the thought too much. She wanted to memorize the script and find a way to add her own personal spin on the character. I need to be memorable. I need to say the right lines and move to the right spots, but be me. Exhilarated at the prospect, Kara found a quiet spot in the corner of the building and skimmed the sketch.
All right. Kara began to pace. Airheaded girl. Everybody is going to play her like a dumb blonde. I need to bring something different. Something that will make my audition stand out. But what? An accent?
Kara read through the script again, trying first a southern, then a British, and finally a surfer girl accent. No. She rolled up the script and tapped it with her hand. Too cheesy for this one. I don’t want to go over the top. The other girls will be doing that. This would be funnier if the character was more believable. But she’s totally out of it. How do I make her out of it without acting like a complete ditz?
Kara’s phone vibrated, and she pulled it from her back pocket. A text from her brother.
“That’s it!” The concrete walls made Kara’s exclamation echo in the large soundstage.
“Shhh,” Kylie hissed. Kylie was a consummate actress, and she hated being interrupted when she was preparing for a role.
“Sorry.” Kara put her hands up in surrender. Sorry I just came up with a great idea. Kara unrolled her script and read through it again, her characterization coming to life as she read. I can be texting through the whole skit. That’s why I don’t really pay attention to Devlin’s character. I’ll look up just enough to catch the gist of what he’s saying. I’m not an airhead; I’m just shallow. Yes. It’s perfect! Now to memorize.
Kara rehearsed her lines and her blocking, adding in her phone as a prop. In the middle of her seventh run-through, she heard Ashley calling the girls to lunch. Kara followed them to a small cafeteria on the other side of the soundstage. Devlin Tyne had already gone through the buffet. Kara, too nervous to eat much, just grabbed a salad and made her way to the long table in the center of the room.
“You can sit by me.” Devlin motioned Kara toward his end of the table. His little arms reminded Kara of sticks that fell off the oak tree in her backyard.
“I’m fine over here.”
“Don’t be shy now.” Devlin flashed what Kara was sure he thought was a million-dollar smile. “I won’t bite. I save that for the scene.”
Kara couldn’t join him in laughing at his lame joke, but she did reluctantly scoot her plate a few chairs closer.
“Hopin
g for your fifteen minutes of fame, huh?” Devlin winked at her. “I started so young, I never really had to compete for roles. They just came to me. Is it hard?”
“Actually, the auditions are fun.” Kara stabbed her lettuce with gusto. “You’re really missing out. I feel bad for you, not getting to experience the thrill of not knowing. It must be so boring.”
Kara was satisfied she had wiped the smug grin off Devlin’s face. The other girls came through the line and surrounded the young star, treating him like he was royalty. Kara’s mind drifted back to the audition piece.
Oh yes. Ignoring him won’t be hard at all.
“You Suck”
HOPE: (Standing by a tree) I hate this new city. It’s nothing like home. I wish I’d never moved here.
VAN: (Suddenly appearing from behind the tree) I am glad you are here.
HOPE: Who are you?
VAN: (Standing beside Hope) My name is Van.
HOPE: Why are you so pale?
VAN: I am from the north.
HOPE: Why are your eyes red?
VAN: Genetics.
HOPE: Why are your teeth so . . . pointy?
VAN: Okay, okay, so I am a vampire. You got me. (He walks to the park bench)
HOPE: (Walks in front of him) Really? Cool. I’m on the swim team.
VAN: What?
HOPE: You’re a vampire, like in baseball, right? Well, I’m on the swim team. At my old school, I was the record holder for the five hundred meter.
VAN: (Stands and walks to Hope) No, I’m not an umpire. I’m—
HOPE: (Crosses to the tree) I know what you’re thinking. The record holder for the whole school? But I am.
VAN: That’s impressive.
HOPE: I know, right? But no one here seems to care.
VAN: (Standing close to her) I care. I have been watching you for a while. And I think I—
HOPE: I mean, I can swim circles around these other girls. And does anyone care? No. It’s like they’re ignoring me.
VAN: (Touches Hope’s neck) I’m not ignoring you. Since the first day I saw you—
HOPE: (Walks away) Well, that’s nice and all, but I don’t want to get on the baseball team. I want to swim.
VAN: Forget swimming. I can take you far away. We can fall in love and get married and have babies that crawl out of your belly and have weird names and—
HOPE: Whoa, dude. I don’t really go for ballplayers, okay?
VAN: I’m not a baseball player.
HOPE: So you lied to me?
VAN: No. What?
HOPE: You come over and tell me you play baseball and get me to talk to you and then you tell me you don’t play baseball?
VAN: (Yelling) Vampire. I am a vampire.
HOPE: Make up your mind. Do you play baseball or don’t you?
VAN: Pale skin, red eyes, pointy teeth . . . vampire.
HOPE: (Walks past Van) Oh, I get it.
VAN: Thank you.
HOPE: You have issues because you’re ugly, so you pretend to play baseball.
VAN: (Walking away) Forget it.
HOPE: (Calling after him) You could try spray tan. Colored contacts.
(Van exits.)
HOPE: Oh well. Some guys are just losers.
Chapter 18
That was so fun.” Kara turned to Haley on the ride home.
“I don’t know about fun,” Haley said. “I hated feeling so bound to their lines and their blocking. I agree with Anna Grace. I wish we had a little more freedom.”
“Isn’t this network supposed to be all about teens bringing our ideas to the show?” Anna Grace said. “I mean, they have us write and perform our own monologues to get on this, then they put us in this tiny box once we get here.”
“Forget today.” Zoey leaned up from the backseat of the van. “Tonight we get to have dinner with Devlin Tyne.”
“I can’t believe he’s coming to our house.” Sophie grinned.
“That is one hot boy,” Anna Grace said. “I bet he’s the star.”
“But he’s on Boys Underground.” Sophie twisted in her seat to face Anna Grace.
“He’s one of five on that show,” Anna Grace said. “Why wouldn’t he want to be on his own show?”
“Good point,” Zoey said. “I sure wouldn’t mind looking at him every day.”
“Too bad, then,” Anna Grace said. “Because this show is all mine. I killed it in the auditions today. Sparks were flying between Devlin and me like you wouldn’t believe.”
“That’s because he’s a good actor,” Ava said, a hard edge to her voice.
“Just watch tonight.” Anna Grace crossed her arms. “You’ll see. He won’t be able to keep his eyes off me.”
The girls in the van grew silent. Kara closed her eyes. And the game has begun.
She looked back and noticed that neither Jillian nor Kylie was involved in the conversation. Jillian watched the other girls. Kylie was engrossed in a book. Kara knew that girl was very serious about her art. She was always reading a book about acting or the biography of a famous actress. Kara had tried to talk to her, but Kylie wasn’t interested in doing anything but reading about acting or actually performing.
So maybe Jillian and I can be friends, Kara hoped. Jillian was Miss America pretty, with blond-on-blond highlights, perfect hair all the time, huge blue eyes, and teeth that Kara was sure had been covered in braces and whitening trays. No one’s teeth can be that perfect. But she seemed pretty nice. That was certainly a rarity around here.
Two hours later, Devlin Tyne entered the girls’ house. Kara found her impressions of the teen star were exactly right.
Those girls were swarming to Devlin like ants to a lollipop. If she learned nothing else from Addy, it’s that going crazy for a boy did not endear a girl to him. Kara looked at Devlin once more, his thin frame enhanced by skinny jeans and a tight-fitting shirt.
Plus, that boy is a stick. I want a man with some muscles. Now, if Chad Beacon were coming over for dinner, I might be in trouble. But of course, he’s not. He’s a singer, not an actor. He’s probably out in California somewhere, recording his next album.
“Ladies, ladies,” Devlin said, parting the girls like Moses parting the Red Sea. “Thank you for the enthusiastic greeting. But I can’t talk to you all at once. Why don’t we just go in order, like we did at the auditions today?”
Anna Grace thought the idea was “stupendous” and suggested they go out to the pool for their talk.
“Did you bring your suit?” Anna Grace asked Devlin as she sashayed past the others.
“No, I’m afraid I didn’t.”
“Well, would you mind terribly if I got into mine? It’s been such a long day, and I’ve been just dying to soak in the hot tub.”
Devlin thought that was a great idea, and Anna Grace changed into her suit, a bikini that left little to the imagination, in world-record time.
Wow. Kara watched Anna Grace lower herself ever-so-slowly into the hot tub. And the auditions continue.
“I don’t approve of bikinis.” Flora joined Kara at the refrigerator where Kara was getting a bottle of water.
“I don’t approve of throwing yourself at a boy to get his attention.” Kara laughed.
“Good for you, Kara.” Flora patted her on the back. “You just keep being yourself.”
“Myself is not making too many friends here.”
“That’s all right.” Flora sat at the kitchen table. “I’m not too popular either.”
Kara looked out the window. Ava, who had also changed into her bathing suit, motioned for Anna Grace to go back inside. A slight argument ensued, but Anna Grace eventually submitted.
“Do you think Devlin is the star of this show?” Kara asked.
“What do you think?”
“It doesn’t really matter, I guess. It’s just acting.”
“But . . . ?” Flora smiled at Kara.
“I don’t know.” Kara looked at Devlin, allowing Ava to take off his shoes so he could put his feet in
the hot tub. “He just seems kind of fake. If I was going to be working with someone every day, I’d want it to be with a friend.”
“You sound like Elizabeth Bennett in Pride and Prejudice. Except she was talking about marriage, not a TV show. But the same principle applies to both situations. Elizabeth was beautiful and smart and caring, and she didn’t want to be with someone who didn’t share those qualities.”
“You really do love books, don’t you?” Kara smiled at Flora. Today she was wearing a beret over her burgundy hair. Her dress was a wraparound Hawaiian print dress, held on her shoulder by a huge daisy pin.
“I do.” Flora nodded.
“And you’re a Christian?”
“I am.”
“One of my best friends is a Christian.”
“What is she like?”
“She’s one of the best people I know.”
Flora nodded.
“But a girl I knew at school said she was a Christian, and she is one of the worst people I know,” Kara said. “All I was to her was a project. When she finally realized I wasn’t going to believe what she believed, she was done with me.”
“I have known people like that too.”
“How can people who believe the same thing behave so differently?”
“That’s a good question.” Flora took an orange from the fruit bowl and began peeling it.
“Are you going to answer it?”
Flora kept peeling. “No. I think our questions are best answered by God. You should ask him.”
“Ask God?”
“Yes.” Flora peeled a section of the orange and ate it. “If you really want to know him, he’ll answer you.”